"A year's gone by, and somehow I've gotten even more handsome. Sigh~ What a burden~"
Early the next morning, Ichiro stood in front of the mirror as usual, straightening his clothes and admiring himself.
"Yeah, yeah. You're the most handsome, the most handsome man in the world. Now move aside, would you?" Urahara shoved Ichiro away, looking thoroughly disgusted.
They hadn't gone too wild at the gathering the night before. They weren't very familiar with one another, after all, and Ichiro—who had lived two lifetimes—wanted to live more freely this time around. Having too many friends was exhausting...
So he'd barely said a word the whole time, quietly sitting in a corner and responding when spoken to before leaving with the others.
They hadn't interacted much, and the others had little interest in a commoner who'd "latched on" to someone important. After trying to strike up a conversation two or three times without getting much of a response, they'd all sensibly left him alone.
"Hurry up, Urahara. You're so slow." Ichiro, done fixing his clothes, leaned against the doorway and impatiently urged him on.
"Quit nagging! If you hadn't been so slow, I'd have been ready ages ago!" Urahara tugged up his waistband and complained with a look of utter resignation.
"Tch. You sure talk tough once your pants are on."
Urahara rolled his eyes at Ichiro and ignored him. He ran a hand through his short blond hair and walked out.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
"Wouldn't it be better to talk more with your classmates? This can't go on." Urahara rested his hands behind his head and glanced at Ichiro beside him.
"I don't care. I'm sick of being so careful and trying to please everyone. I finally got a second chance at life, so I want to take it easy."
"Fair enough. I almost forgot—you weren't born in the Soul Society. That explains it. Still, not having friends might cause you some trouble when you join Squad 13."
"I'll deal with that when the time comes. Besides, I have you guys, don't I?"
"Heh." Urahara shook his head with a smile, saying nothing. With Ichiro's talent, he'd do just fine in Squad 13 even without them—as long as he didn't do anything reckless, like challenging the nobles.
As they talked, the two stopped outside the girls' dormitory. They chatted about this and that while they waited for Yoruichi to come out. Once she did, the three headed to class together.
Things had been more or less like that for the past year. Sometimes Ichiro even wondered if the two hadn't confessed their feelings because of him.
But then he remembered that things had gone on like this between them for centuries in the original story. Clearly, it would have made no difference whether he was there or not, so he put it out of his mind.
A little while later, the three walked into the classroom and froze. Urahara and Yoruichi both turned to look at Ichiro. The seat by the window in the back row was taken...
After a year together, they understood how strangely attached he was to that spot. Whenever a class or activity involved choosing seats, he always picked it!
This was the first time they'd encountered such a situation, and they were curious to see what Ichiro would do.
Would he pick a fight? Try to negotiate? Or sit somewhere nearby?
To their surprise, Ichiro silently walked to the third seat in the row by the wall near the door. It wasn't as good as the back-row window seat, but it was still a main-character spot.
I, Ten-shin Ichiro, refuse to be ordinary!
Urahara and Yoruichi exchanged glances, both of them visibly surprised. They sat down beside Ichiro, and Urahara asked curiously, "This is a first. You actually sat somewhere else."
Ichiro laid his head on the desk and rolled his eyes at Urahara. "Don't make me out to be that weird. I can sit anywhere."
"Is that so? Then give me that seat when we get to choose again, will you?"
"Heh~"
Ichiro didn't say much, but those two words made his answer clear.
"Hello." A girl with a long ponytail suddenly sat down in front of Ichiro, then turned around to greet him. "I'm Ten-shin Kazuo. I remember your name is Tenshin Ichiro, right? What a coincidence. I hope we get along."
Ichiro stared blankly at the girl and tilted his head in confusion. "Ten-shin Kazuo? Your surname's Ten-shin too?"
"Hm?" Now it was Ten-shin Kazuo's turn to look at Ichiro in confusion.
"Hm?" Ichiro looked just as confused.
Watching the two stare at each other, Yoruichi patted her forehead and said, "You didn't read the notice they handed out, did you? It had the new class list on it. How else do you think yesterday's gathering was arranged?"
"I didn't read it... Why would I? Wouldn't it be better to spend that time studying Kido incantations? Yoruichi, you've already surpassed me."
At the thought of Ichiro's talent for Kido, Yoruichi's mouth twitched. "That's because you insisted on mastering the incantationless version before moving on to Number One..."
As she spoke, Yoruichi turned to Ten-shin Kazuo and asked curiously, "I don't think I saw you at the gathering yesterday. Didn't you go?"
"Mm, something came up yesterday."
"That explains it. This guy's just like that. Unless you go up to him, he won't make the effort to get to know you. He's a total blockhead."
"Oh? I see..."
"Hey!"
"Hehe~ Then let's get acquainted now. I'm Ten-shin Kazuo. I hope we get along."
"Uh... Me too. I hope we get along." Compared with Kazuo, Ichiro's response was rather subdued.
It couldn't be helped. She was a girl, sure, but unfortunately, she was just a background character. He wasn't interested in background characters. Besides, once he mastered Human Transmutation, what kind of girl wouldn't be available to him?
"Everyone, settle down. I'm going to take attendance." Before long, the teacher in charge of their Class Three arrived. He glanced around and opened the lesson plan in his hands. The girl turned back around, too.
"Matsuoka Yukimura..."
"Here."
"Tomoya Kirigaya..."
"Here."
"Yoruichi Shihouin..."
"Here."
"Kisuke Urahara..."
"Here."
"Tenshin Ichiro..."
"Here."
"...Ten-shin Kazuo..."
"Here."
The teacher glanced at the two of them, apparently wanting to confirm whether they were related, but after only a moment, he continued calling the remaining names.
A little while later, he closed the attendance book and clapped his hands.
"Good, everyone's here. Next, you'll have your first Konso practice. Everyone, meet at the Senkaimon on the training field. Let's go."
The scene shifted. Everyone arrived in front of the teaching building, where a Shinigami currently serving in Squad 13 was waiting by the Senkaimon. They would be accompanying the class for the rest of the lesson and would point out any mistakes or omissions as soon as they noticed them.
Ichiro gazed at the Senkaimon, his eyes deep and unreadable. He felt the glove in his pocket, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
The day had finally come!
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